Doug Finke: Lawmakers don't trust governor -- except when they do

All we’ve heard ad nauseam for weeks and even months is that lawmakers do not trust Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH.

It’s one of the major reasons the state couldn’t get a badly needed public works construction program approved. Lawmakers are afraid that if they approve funding for projects, Blagojevich won’t sign off on it. Blagojevich ultimately holds the final authority on what projects get built.

Their concern is well-founded. Blagojevich has a long history of forgetting promises, like the one to reopen the Lincoln Developmental Center. He has an equally long history of rewarding friends and sticking it to his perceived enemies. Check out last year, when the governor cut pork spending in the state budget put in by House Democrats (his enemies), but said the pork put in by Senate Democrats (his friends) was OK.

So against this backdrop of distrust, what are lawmakers going to do with the state budget, one of the most fundamental parts of state government? Trust Blagojevich.

As of Friday, there was every indication that the new state budget lawmakers were primed to send to Blagojevich will be out of balance, that it will spend more money than the state is going to bring in through taxes and other revenue. Lawmakers will leave it up to Blagojevich -- the man who can’t be trusted -- to make prudent cuts that bring everything into line.

Politically, it’s not a bad move, though. When Blagojevich whacks some spending and the people affected by the cuts complain, lawmakers can say they wanted to spend more, but the evil governor wouldn’t allow it.

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Negotiators have been insisting for days that the new state budget will not include money for lawmaker pay raises. As you may remember, the Compensation Review Board said lawmakers should get pay raises of more than 11 percent, on top of the 10 percent increase they got last year.

Padding their paychecks while saying there’s no money to give most state services a decent increase wouldn’t be a smart move by lawmakers. It’s possible that money for raises could end up tucked into the budget someplace, but for now, we’ll take the negotiators at their word that the money isn’t in there.

We should all feel grateful to lawmakers for being prudent and being willing to sacrifice for the sake of the state, right? Don’t overdo the warm, fuzzy feeling just yet.

The Senate never rejected the pay raises, and unless they do, the raises take effect automatically. There won’t be any money in the budget to pay them, but they will still be on the books.

Around state government, there’s something called a “supplemental appropriation,” a fancy term for adding money to the state budget later in the budget year. Lawmakers do this all the time to take care of emergencies and other unforeseen circumstances, like a severe winter that depletes the Illinois Department of Transportation’s budget.

You can bet that sometime in the next few months – namely, after the November election - lawmakers will be back in Springfield talking about a supplemental appropriation. You can also bet it will include money for the pay raises. Of course, pay raise money will only be part of the equation. The bill will probably include more money for other programs with the idea of making it difficult for lawmakers to vote against it.

Think it won’t happen? That’s how lawmakers finally got money for their last pay raise. The cash didn’t come through for months after the pay raise was approved, but it did finally arrive.

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While we’re talking about budgets, everyone keeps talking about the state’s dire financial problems and how extravagant spending increases for state services are out of the question right now. Lawmakers talk about being able to pass only a “limited growth” budget, keeping spending increases to a minimum. How much of an increase in spending? About $2.1 billion or so.

Is Illinois the only state where “limited growth” means spending $2 billion more?

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”I made a mistake. I should have left through the back door.” Senate President EMIL JONES, D-Chicago, as he surveyed reporters gathered outside Blagojevich’s office following a meeting on a public works construction bill. Jones still didn’t answer their questions.